Sports Sounds Lauderdale Players Going For National Title In Game Designed For The Blind.

June 10, 1993|By TAO WOOLFE, Staff Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Bob Smith touched the tape on the gym floor to figure out where he should position himself.

Then he turned to teammate Ivan Pineiro and said: ``If you throw out of bounds more than five times, you`re going to have to clean my office and the men`s room and the women`s room.``

Smith`s office is at Lighthouse For The Blind in Fort Lauderdale. Smith, Pineiro and their third team member, Adam Shaible, are blind. On Wednesday, they were playing one of their last practice games of goalball before heading to Indianapolis for the national games, where 20 to 30 teams will vie for the championship.

The game, which pits three players at one end of a basketball court against three players at the other end, is kind of a combination of hockey and soccer.

The object is to hurl a basketball-sized ball filled with bells across the court past the players at the other end. The defensive players listen for the ball and throw themselves on the gym floor in an effort to block it.

It is not an easy game. The players were drenched with sweat by the time the two-hour practice ended.

For some of that time, they played against sighted players on the other side.

``When we play sighted players, it almost brings it to (national) competition level,`` said Smith, 31, who has been playing for four years. He recruited this year`s team from among friends and students at Lighthouse For The Blind, where he teaches computer classes. Pineiro, 21, and Shaible, 26, both of Fort Lauderdale, have been playing only two months.

The game was devised in Europe after World War II for veterans who lost their sight in battle, said Smith, who lives in Lantana. It now has become an international sport.

``It was recreational therapy to help the vets develop orientation by concentrating on listening,`` he said, explaining that sometimes, when the ball is thrown more softly, it is more difficult to track because the bells ring more softly.

During tournament play, talking by the offensive team is forbidden. The defense must be able to hear the ball.

Also during tournament play, all the players must wear blindfolds, even though they might be completely blind.

``Who`s to know? It`s your word against mine otherwise,`` he said.

Smith lost his sight and his right leg 10 years ago in a car accident. He says he doesn`t like to dwell on it.

``It was just one of those unavoidable things in life,`` he said.

He would rather talk about goalball.

The ball costs $65 and is imported from Italy. After a while, the bells become crushed and the ball has to be replaced.

The other expenses are knee and elbow pads, gloves and adhesive tape. The tape that marks the teams` boundaries covers pieces of thick string to help the players figure out where to throw from and what areas to protect.

Smith said the team has enough money to get the players and their coach to Indianapolis. They are trying to raise a few more hundred dollars to take a couple of other players with them.

They are also looking for volunteers -- blind or sighted -- to help them practice when they begin gearing up for their next tournament in October.

To help, or get further information, call Lighthouse For The Blind at 463-4217.

Oh, and Pineiro will not have to clean Smith`s office today. He didn`t hit more than two shots out of bounds on Wednesday.